Closure for retorts.



T. D. MILLER.

GLOSURE FOR RETORTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1912.

1,038,933 Patented Sept. 17,1912.

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QQ/5265565.' www THOMAS D. MILLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CLOSURE FOR RETORTS.

Application led April 22,

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS D. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Closures for Retorts, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to vertical bench gas retorts. In theoperation of such retorts, the bottom thereof has to sustain the heavyweight of the charge, together with the pressure of the gas generatedtherefrom, and it is liable to be warped by the burning of the gasresulting from imperfect sealing of the self-sealing door or closure.

rIhe purpose of the present invention is to ameliorate the abovementioned conditions and provide for the more certain closing of thebottom opening.

To this end the invention consists principally in relieving the bottomclosure of the Weight of the charge and in making provision whereby theselfsealing bottom door or closure may be reseated after the retort isdischarged, and in the parts and in the arrangement and combination ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1is a vertical sectional view showing the lower portion of a retortequipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mouth-piecering with the closure applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view ofthe mouth-piece ring with the closure applied thereto; Fig. 4 is avertical, section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a cross sectionof the mouth piece showing a recess therein and the end of the crossbeam in such recess.

The lower end of the retort shell 1 is provided with the usual ring ormouthpiece 2 of elliptical or other suitable form, which is boltedthereto in the usual manner. In the inner wall of this ring or mouthpiece at diametrically opposite points, are recesses 3 whose bottomsslope upwardly at a slight inclination, forming, in effect, shorthelices. These recesses are located at or near points where the diameterof the ring or mouthpiece is least. The bottom door or closureSpecication of Letters Patent.

1912. Serial No. 692,462.

4 of the retort is pivotally mounted in the usual way; that is, it ispivotally mounted on a yoke 5 pivoted on a horizont-al eccentric shaft 6on the side of the mouth-piece opening, and the shaft is provided withmeans for actuating it. The yoke 5 is arranged to extend lengthwise ofthe mouthpiece opening and its front end is supported by a suitablefastening device such as a clevis 7 pivotally suspended from themouth-piece ring. The construct-ion and arrangement hereinbeforedescribed are a well-known construction, whereby, when the yoke isdisengaged from the clevis, the closure may be swung downwardly to dumpthe charge, and may be swung back to position and then sealed by a finalmovement due to the manipulation of the eccentric shaft.

According to the present invent-ion, the bottom closure 4 is mounted onthe yoke 5 and has its marginal portions arranged t0 engage the bottomof the ring in conformity with former practice. The middle portion ofthis closure has a downwardly extending boss to furnish a bearing for ashaft 9, and the portion between the central bearing and the margin isformed into an annular depression 10. The upper end of the bore isflared or coned, to afford a thrust bearing for a conical shoulderformed on said shaft 9.

The downwardly projecting portion of the shaft 9 is provided with aT-handle 11 or other suitable device whereby it may be turned. The upperend of the shaft is provided with a cross-head 12 which lits between thedown-turned ianges 13 of a beam 14. The length of this beam is such thatits ends may rest on the bott-oms of recesses 3 provided therefor in theinner face of the mouth-piece ring at or near the point of leastdiameter of said ring. The bottom of each of these recesses slopesupwardly at a slight inclination and the recesses are of suflicientlength to permit the beam to be turned far enough for its ends to becomedisengaged from said recesses. `Obviously shoulders or other equivalentdevices may be used instead of such recesses.

Mounted on the beam is a false bottom 16 of sufficient strength tosustain the weight of the charge. This false bottom has elon- PatentedSept. 17, 1912. p

gated slots 17 through which bolts 18 eX- tend downwardly into thebottom door or closure, said bolts being preferably provided with headslarge enough to cover the entire slot. The elongation of the slotsallows a movement of the false bottom horizontally or parallel with theclosure, and the mounting of the false bottom in the closure allows amovement in a vertical d1- rection or at right angles to said closure.In consequence of this capacity of the closure for movement independentof the false bottom, it is possible to tighten the closure even when theretort is charged. This is an advantage of very great importance in sofar as it enables the operator to stop a leakage occurring during theoperation and which not only causes waste but also tends to warp theclosure by burning at the edge thereof.

The operation of the device is as follows: Before the retort is charged,the bottom of the retort is sealed by the usual mechanism hereinbeforementioned; and the T-handle is turned so as to bring the ends of thebeam into the recesses and thence cause said beam to ride up the slopethereof and thereby take the Weight thereof off of the closure. Theretort is then charged and closed and the heat generates and drives othe gas. During this operation the weight of the charge is sustaineddirectly by the false bottom whence it is transmitted to the mouth-pieceor ring, the closure being entirely relieved of such weight. At the endof the operation the T-handle is turned to disengage the ends of thebeam from the recesses and the contents of the retort are dumped ordischarged by swinging down the bottom closure. On account of the shapeof the closure and the arrangement of the parts associated therewith,the closure and all associated parts swing entirely clear of the bottomopening of the retort. Likewise, on account of the annular recessing ofsaid closure, the pitch and tar resulting from the manufacture of gasaccumulate therein and drain therefrom without fouling the bearing ofthe shaft to any considerable eX- tent. Likewise, on account of theconing of the bearing of the shaft, all weight on the shaft isadequately taken care of, and there is a tendency for the parts toregrind their surfaces to fit properly; which feature is an importantadvantage in connection on and movable with said closure, and meanswhereby the closure may be relieved of the weight of said false bottomin service.

2. A retort having an open bottom, a closure pivotally mounted onhorizontal axis at the side of the bottom opening, a false bottommounted on said closure and capable of slight vertical movement relativethereto, and means whereby the weight of said false bottom may betransferred from said closure to the wall of said retort.

3. A retort having an open bottom, a closure pivotally mounted on ahorizontal axis at the side of the bottom opening, a false bottommounted on said closure and capable of slight vertical movement relativethereto and means on the wall of the retort for engaging and supportingsaid false bottom.

1. A retort having an open bottom, a closure therefor pivotally mountedon a horizontal axis at the side of the opening, said closure having anannular depression, a shaft rotatably mounted in the central portion ofsaid closure, a beam operatively connected to said shaft to be turnedthereby and a false bottom on said beam, the inner surface of the retorthaving means for supporting the ends of the beams.

5. A retort having an open bottom, a closure therefor pivotally mountedon a horizontal aXis at the side of the opening, said closure having anannular depression, a shaft rotatably mounted in the central portion ofsaid closure, a beam operatively connected to said shaft to be turnedthereby, and a false bottom on said beam, the inner surface of theretort having recesses with inclined bottoms in position for the ends ofthe beams to engage.

6. A retort having an open bottom, a closure therefor pivotally mountedon a horizontal aXis at the side of said bottom opening, a false bottommounted on said closure so as to have vertical movement relativethereto, and means for engaging the mounting of said false bottom withthe wall of the retort and raising it clear of its support on saidclosure.

7. A retort having an open bottom, a closure therefor pivotally mountedon a horizontal aXis at the side of said bottom opening and a falsebottom mounted on said closure so as to have vertical movement relativethereto, and means for engaging the mounting of said false bottom withthe wall of the retort and disengaging it therefrom, and means fortightening the closure independently of said false bottom.

8. A retort having an open elliptical ring at its lower end, a closurepivotally mounted on a horizontal axis at the side of the bottomopening, said closure having a rotatable shaft mounted at the middlethereof, a supporting member ,operatively connected to said shaft to beactuated thereby, and a ting a turning movement of tlie supporting,false bottom mounted on said supporting member independent of said falsebottom. 15

member, said supporting member and said Signed at St. Louis, Missouri,this 20th ring` having ooaeting shoulders adapted to day of April, 1912.

constitute inclined planes for raising` the THOS. D. MILLER. ends of thesupporting member When ro- Witnesses:

tated, and the connection between tbe false JAMES A. CANN,

bottom and the supporting member permit- MARTHA A. SHELTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

